Labour has refused to reveal how many top-up debit card payments have been made to asylum seekers after it emerged some were using the money for gambling. The Telegraph has the story.
Steve Barclay, a former Conservative minister, accused the Home Office of trying to avoid scrutiny after his requests for the data were rejected three times.
Asylum Support Enablement Cards (also known as Aspen cards) offer financial support for basic necessities like food, clothing and toiletries. A claimant in self-catering accommodation typically receives £49.18 each week via a Visa debit card which enables users to withdraw cash as well as pay for in-store purchases.
However, concerns have been raised over their use, including the disclosure that some had been used to make gambling payments.
Up to 6,537 asylum seekers have used the government cards at least once in the past year in venues such as bookmakers, amusement arcades and casinos, according to figures released under a Freedom of Information request. Attempts to gamble online using the cards were made, but were blocked each time.
Mr Barclay, who was charged by Boris Johnson with overseeing efforts to tackle the small boats crisis, said: “Either the Home Office is intentionally trying to avoid scrutiny, or they simply don’t know – either of which is damning.
“There have been real concerns about the use of Asylum Support Enablement Cards and the public have a right to know exactly how often taxpayers’ money is being sent to them.
“They could be one of the many pull-factors that is fuelling the small boats crisis, which is even further out of control under Labour.
“The only way we can tackle it is through tougher measures, and to do this we will need to be out of the European Convention on Human Rights.”
Mr Barclay has asked a series of Parliamentary questions over the past six months to try to extract information on the number of top-up payments made to Aspen cards. Yet on three occasions, he said the Home Office has refused to answer.
Worth reading in full.
••••
The Liberty Beacon Project is now expanding at a near exponential rate, and for this we are grateful and excited! But we must also be practical. For 7 years we have not asked for any donations, and have built this project with our own funds as we grew. We are now experiencing ever increasing growing pains due to the large number of websites and projects we represent. So we have just installed donation buttons on our websites and ask that you consider this when you visit them. Nothing is too small. We thank you for all your support and your considerations … (TLB)
••••
Comment Policy: As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence, racism, or personal/abusive attacks on other users. This also applies to trolling, the use of more than one alias, or just intentional mischief. Enforcement of this policy is at the discretion of this websites administrators. Repeat offenders may be blocked or permanently banned without prior warning.
••••
Disclaimer: TLB websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
••••
Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Liberty Beacon Project.
Leave a Reply